The Consequences of Extending Equitable Property Division Divorce Laws to Cohabitants

Abraham Chigavazira (), Hayley Fisher (), Tim Robinson and Anna Zhu ()
Additional contact information
Abraham Chigavazira: University of Melbourne
Anna Zhu: RMIT University

No 12102, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: This paper analyses the effect of extending equitable property division divorce laws to unmarried cohabiting couples in Australia. Using a triple-difference fixed effects approach we show that existing couples are more likely to make relationshipspecific investments after being exposed to laws enabling the equitable redistribution of property in the event of relationship breakdown. In affected couples we find that men increase their employment and women increase time spent on housework. Couples have more children and are more likely to become home owners. These results demonstrate the causal effect of property division laws on relationship-specific investments and inform the ongoing international debate about the appropriate legal treatment of unmarried cohabiting couples.

Keywords: cohabitation; divorce; property; division; household behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J12 K36 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 31 pages
Date: 2019-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-lab and nep-law
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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Related works:
Working Paper: The Consequences of Extending Equitable Property Division Divorce Laws to Cohabitants (2019)
Working Paper: The Consequences of Extending Equitable Property Division Divorce Laws to Cohabitants (2019)
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